美国商业大亨传奇 第51期:喋血工厂(26)

The industrialists of that period of time are peoplewho are out for themselves to make large fortunes asquickly as possible,

当时的工业资本家是一群只顾自己的人 只想尽可能快地赚取大量财产

even if it means pressing the envelope of whatthey have to do.

为了实现目的 他们不惜采取任何手段

Frick begins squeezing all that he can get out of the workers at Homestead.

弗里克开始尽一切可能压榨霍姆斯泰德工人的每一滴血汗

Frick decided that the only way to keep the plant running efficiently was with a 12 hour day,six days a week.

弗里克认为要想让工厂高效运行 工人必须一周工作6天 每天12小时

What that meant was intolerable working conditions.

这意味着难以忍耐的工作条件

No one could work 12 hours a day.

没人一天能工作12小时

If you're working in an office,you'd fall asleep at your desk.

如果是在办公室 你肯定会累倒在桌上

If you fall asleep in a steel mill,you end up dead.

如果累倒在钢厂里 你会死掉

You know back when Carnegie was building his empire,obviously there were no labor laws, itwas a free for all.

在卡内基建立钢铁帝国时明显不存在劳动法 这些做法都是允许的

And looking back it seems horrific in a lot of different ways that workers were takenadvantage of

现在看来这很糟糕 工厂竟然能够通过各种方式压榨工人

But that was the game that was played back then.

但在当时的游戏规则下 这无可厚非

The conditions are dangerous.

工作条件很危险

And a small group of men bands together to raise their concerns.

一小群人团结到一起提出他们的忧虑

Many of the workers at the steel mill felt that change in working conditions was a necessity.

钢厂的很多工人感觉到改善工作条件是必须的

They were exhausted and they wanted wages that were livable.

他们工作得精疲力竭 他们希望工资能够过得去

Unions are relatively new in America.

工会在美国才刚刚出现不久

And Frick isn't about to let them take root on his watch.

弗里克可不愿让他们在自己的眼皮子底下扎根

But before acting, he seeks his boss' counsel.

在行动之前 他请示过他的老板

本篇内容翻译来自可可英语网。